{"id":5694,"date":"2022-06-09T10:28:03","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T17:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=5694"},"modified":"2022-06-14T15:54:36","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T22:54:36","slug":"ukraine-the-tears-and-ties-that-bind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2022\/uncategorized\/ukraine-the-tears-and-ties-that-bind\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine: the Tears and Ties that Bind"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"tears<\/a>
Me with my Dad, Mom, and Baba<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the home of my ancestors, on Feb. 24th, I sobbed uncontrollably. The fact that my tears flowed so easily surprised me, but when I examined my past, I understood why. It’s in my DNA. Both my parents had immigrated from that land. The tears and ties that bind me to Ukraine came naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though I was born in Canada, Ukrainian was my first language. My baba, Lukia Mazurec\u2014who is the protagonist in my biographical fiction series, Lukia’s Family Saga<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u2014<\/em><\/em>lived with my mother, father, and me and spoke little English. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around the kitchen table, I heard the stories of their life in the old country. They taught me about the culture and sent me to Ukrainian school and summer camps at St. Andrew’s College in Winnipeg, where I learned more about the history of Ukraine. Students came from across Canada to learn about the Ukrainian culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ukrainian Canadian students in summer program at St. Andrew’s College<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And I’ve spent the last six years writing historical fiction novels with a connection to that country. The first one in the series, Sunflowers Under Fire<\/a><\/strong>,<\/em> is about how my baba and her children weathered WWI, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the wars that followed. They carried that history with them when they immigrated to Canada. That immigration story is told in books 2 and 3 of the series, Lilacs in the Dust Bowl<\/a>, <\/strong><\/em>and Paper Roses on Stony Mountain<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So I cried when Putin sent his armed forces in. That was over three months ago and the war is escalating. The war crimes have mounted. Not only is he determined to take over Ukraine, he seems bent on destroying it as well. He acts like an abusive and mentally ill parent who can’t abide his child wanting to go out on their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attempts at Killing a Culture <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, I had been following the Canadian news about the discovery of indigenous children in unmarked graves at residential schools. The news underlined the horror of what indigenous children and their families had gone through, and how it affected the generations that followed. The teachers at these schools tried to kill the \u201cIndian\u201d in indigenous children by separating them from their families, wiping out their language, forcing them to adopt English\u2014even changing their names\u2014and cutting off their beautiful hair. Today, First Nations in Canada are working hard to restore and preserve their language, which almost disappeared during that tragic time in the history of Canada. The practices at these schools, supported by church and government, amounted to cultural genocide<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I can’t help but see the comparison. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Genocide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A genocide is what\u2019s happening in Ukraine today<\/strong><\/a>. Not only is Putin bombing cities and towns and killing innocent civilians, he\u2019s also trying to bring Ukraine to its knees. Putin wants to control Ukraine and put his stamp on its identity. He has dreams of resurrecting the Soviet Republic, of being the leader of an empire once more. In that way, he can restore the glory and power of Russia in the world. He wants Ukrainians to overlook their history of oppression under Russian rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But because of their history, Ukrainians naturally gravitate to the democratic west and not to Russia\u2019s authoritarian regime. Ukrainians have had had enough of dictatorship, whether it was under the rule of a tsar, or under an autocrat like Stalin. Their families remember the Holodomor<\/strong>,<\/a> when millions perished in the state-produced famine. They remember what it was like to be second-class citizens in a Communist system and want no part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trip to Ukraine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I became acquainted with more of Ukraine’s history, when my mother took me, my husband, and our two grown daughters on a tour of the country\u2014the Ukrainian Soviet Republic\u2014in 1988 called Unforgettable Ukraine.<\/em> She wanted us to see Kivertsi, the village she emigrated from. Besides Kivertsi, we also toured Lutsk, Lviv, and Kyiv. Gorbachev was in power then, and the Ukrainian Soviet Republic was undergoing reforms of their political and economic systems. It was a period of Glasnost, meaning more openness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cousin Nina, daughter Robyn, Mom, daughter Karen, & me at church in Lutsk. Robert & me in Lutsk<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our family was shocked at what we found on our visit to my mother\u2019s village. We met distant relatives who still lived the way she and her family had lived before they emigrated to Canada in 1929. The relatives\u2019 toilet was an outhouse with a hole in the ground inside. Their meagre homes were drafty and held wood stoves for cooking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"tears<\/a>
In Kivertsi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When my mother\u2019s cousins visited our hotel in Lutsk, 14 km from Kivertsi, they had to hand in their passports at the front desk before coming up to our rooms. And when we sat on the twin beds facing one another, they talked in hushed tones, occasionally pointing to the ceiling or under the bedside table. Fearing there were hidden listening devices in the room, they refused to talk about anything that could be interpreted as against the state. It was only later, on the street, that they could talk openly about their experiences living under Soviet rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What struck me as odd, too, was my relatives’ language. Russian words peppered their speech, ones I didn\u2019t understand.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suppression of the Ukrainian Language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During our time in the Ukrainian Socialist Republic, I had a few experiences that showed me how the suppression of the Ukrainian language was affecting locals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first revelation came when our Russian guide arranged for us to see a film about Lysenko, a Ukrainian classical composer. (He composed the song, Great and Only God, that was sung on Saturday Night Live<\/a><\/strong>, at the beginning of the war in Ukraine). I watched the movie, but I didn’t understand the dialogue. The actors spoke Russian. I told our guide it wasn\u2019t a Ukrainian film. She wasn\u2019t happy with my remark. <\/p>\n\n\n

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A Promenade by the Lviv Theatre<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The second time we were confronted by a language concern, was when we were in Lviv. My husband and I went into a deli to grab some lunch and while we were in line, I chatted up a young man, who turned out to be a medical student. He told me he was going to a demonstration later that evening in Ivan Franko Park. He and other intelligentsia were going to speak out against a movement by the authorities to replace the Ukrainian language with the Russian language in official government documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the last instance was in a jewellery store in Lutsk. An elderly man overhead me speaking to my mother in Ukrainian and asked me where I\u2019d learned the language. He knew I was from another country because of my Western dress. I told him I had learned the language from my baba (grandmother). He wept. He told me he was overjoyed the Ukrainian language, in its pure form, was being spoken elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suppression of the Ukrainian language actually began in 1804 during a tsarist regime. Afterwards, there were brief periods when the language was allowed, but just as quickly banned again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restoring the Ukrainian Language<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It bothers Putin and the Russian separatists in the east (supported by Putin) that Ukraine has taken steps to make the Ukrainian language the dominant one in the country.<\/strong><\/a> The government of Ukraine is trying to undo the damage done to the language over centuries of Russian rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ukrainian language is one of the most melodic of languages.<\/strong> <\/a>It ranks up high with Italian. It\u2019s the language of Ukrainian poets, like Taras Shevchenko, who wrote political and revolutionary poems, and Lesya Ukrainka, who wrote poems about nature and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survival<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainians have struggled for centuries to gain independence. With their new president Zelensky, it looked like they had turned a corner. But then Russia invaded. Now when I watch the television coverage of the war in Ukraine, I can only weep and pray that the country will survive along with its identity and language. “Ukraine Hasn’t Perished Yet” is the first line of Ukraine’s national anthem<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am so thankful for all the support Ukraine is getting from the world. I’m thankful to all those in Poland, Canada, America, and other countries who’ve taken Ukrainian refugees into their homes. I hope for everyone’s sake, this war is over soon. Praying for Peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you feel inclined, please leave a comment. I’m happy to hear from readers. <\/strong>And if you haven’t already, do sign up for my newsletter.<\/a><\/strong> In my next letter, I’ll be announcing the launch date of my new novel, Paper Roses on Stony Mountain<\/em><\/strong> and more. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the home of my ancestors, on Feb. 24th, I sobbed uncontrollably. The fact that my tears flowed so easily surprised me, but when I examined my… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/mom-dad-me-and-baba.jpg?fit=490%2C640&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-1tQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1583,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/uncategorized\/ukraine-and-the-russian-bully\/","url_meta":{"origin":5694,"position":0},"title":"Ukraine and the Russian Bully","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"15 \u0411\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0437\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Ordinarily, I wouldn't be using my blog to write about politics in the Ukraine, but what is happening there is very dear to my heart. My grandparents and parents came from there and I\u2019ve been spending the last two years writing my baba's story. For those of you who haven\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"from www.infoplease.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/mukraine-300x291.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6271,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2023\/art\/a-treasured-icon\/","url_meta":{"origin":5694,"position":1},"title":"A Treasured Icon","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"24 \u041b\u0438\u043f\u043d\u044f, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"When I recently visited the Ukrainian museum in Toronto to see Sacred Straw, the exhibit of icons reminded me of a treasured icon of the Virgin Mary hanging on our bedroom wall.\u00a0 The artist, Myroslava Boikiv, had created a beautiful icon of the Holy Mother as well as others out\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Virgin-Mary-icon.jpg?fit=418%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1102,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2012\/writing\/writing-family-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":5694,"position":2},"title":"Writing Family History","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"5 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m back to working on my baba\u2019s \u00a0story, NO TIME FOR TEARS, which is essentially an immigrant\u2019s story. \u00a0It\u2019ll be published as a novel, as I\u2019ve had to do a lot of research to fill in the blanks. \u00a0Because she lived behind the Iron Curtain, in Eastern Europe, information has\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/P1090283-300x297.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5747,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2022\/uncategorized\/visiting-poland-ukraines-friend\/","url_meta":{"origin":5694,"position":3},"title":"Visiting Poland, Ukraine’s Friend","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"2 \u0421\u0435\u0440\u043f\u043d\u044f, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Visitng Poland, Ukraine's friend, was uppermost in my mind, when we booked a fourteen-day bus tour through Central Europe. After three long years of being super vigilant, due to Covid regulations and health concerns, it was wonderful to get out into the world again. No, we didn't travel by Sleigh!\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sleigh-photo.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sleigh-photo.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sleigh-photo.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6221,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2023\/writing\/who-are-we-without-the-language-of-our-ancestors\/","url_meta":{"origin":5694,"position":4},"title":"Who Are We Without the Language of Our Ancestors?","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"22 \u0422\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, indeed, who are we without the language of our ancestors? A Lesson on Identity I was reminded of the importance of language on a recent cruise to Alaska. The cruiseship had arranged for a cultural presentation by a Tlingit elder. She talked about her residential school years, when her\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"language of our ancestors","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_5760192031-rotated.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1368,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2013\/life\/nostalgia-redux\/","url_meta":{"origin":5694,"position":5},"title":"Nostalgia Redux","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"7 \u0422\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"These days, I\u2019m feeling rather nostalgic. Dictionary.com defines nostalgia as \u201ca wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ukrainian Easter service at St. Mary's the Protectress, Winnipeg, Manitoba","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/church-service-300x218.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5694"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5741,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5694\/revisions\/5741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}